Birthright [BNHAxVillain!OC]

Bonus Scene #1 - Mezo Shoji: Trust

Himura Seiko and Mezo Shoji were an unlikely duo, but they hit it off from the start. The two met long before the mask donned the male's face, and much before Seiko's body quickly deteriorated from her quirks.

So it was no surprise that Mezo spent the weeks after Seiko's betrayal completely overwhelmed with shock and grief. Because no one could ever expect their childhood friend to betray them like that.

Death was one. Conscious betrayal was another.

Mezo could only see Seiko as someone he could rely on in middle school. It was a given that the two were a strange pair, Seiko's seemingly energetic personality an opposite from Shoji's silent compassion. The girl was quick to notice the small ticks in the male; she knew when he was happy and when he shared his own personal feelings.

"You don't have to be afraid, Mezo." Seiko blatantly told him one day, frowning at the boy during lunch.

His food sat untouched on his desk, Shoji flustered beyond belief as the girl hit the nail head-on.

"I'm not afraid."

She scoffed. "You haven't touched your food. Dummy, you came in a mask today."

Shoji refused to meet her gaze, and Seiko's voice grew gentle. She knew just what was worrying him.

"Was it the kid that said your face was scary yesterday, Mezo?" Seiko placed her own bento on his desk. "You do realize that she was just startled, right? That was one kid..."

He glanced away. "Just one, but if I want to be a hero, I don't think I'd want to be a scary one."

If she had frowned at that statement, Shoji never would have noticed. Her silence was deafening, despite the chatter that filled their middle-school classroom. He had thought that she was simply trying to support his endeavors, and insisted that he could have been a hero without fear.

"It's not wrong to be scary..." She murmured, almost to herself. But, in a strange display of excitement, she shoved her face before his. "And, I have these bandages too! We can be mask buddies, you dummy!"

Shoji blinked in surprise, face blooming pink. "I, uh—"

"Don't let other people's words scare you, Mezo." Seiko planted a firm hand onto his, her other reaching out and pushing his bento towards him. "Appearances are face value."

He opened the lid silently, sending the girl a grateful nod. "It's what's on the inside that counts, right?"

She smirked. "You're cheesy, but you're right. ANYWAYS! I still haven't completed the Japanese History assignment that Sheep-sensei assigned us~!"

Mezo deadpanned, halfway through removing his mask. Seiko saw his expression, and she laughed.

The student rolled over in his bed, sighing heavily as he buried himself further into his sheets.

It was no help that the adults around him didn't seem to think the same way.

"She is a criminal, Shoji-san." Police Officer Tsukauchi was blunt, emotions tucked away while interrogating Seiko's childhood companion. "I cannot empathize with your affection towards her. I do understand that you both have known each other for years, and that this may be difficult for you. However, this is the League of Villains that we are dealing with. This is for the sake of Japan."

Shoji floundered. The stoic male had never been left so distraught. What should he say? What could he say?

That she was always kind to him? That, for some reason, she never resorted to violence against him? Not until now. He had never seen this side of Nakano Seiko, and he couldn't understand it.